Special Message from the President and CEO of CCA

Special Message from the President and CEO of CCADear CCA Members and Friends,I hope that this message finds you, your family, and colleagues healthy and safe. Corporate Council on Africa (CCA) understands that with more than 1.5 million people infected globally with the coronavirus (COVID-19), this pandemic is impacting people, families, communities, and companies in the United States, across Africa, and around the world.We are especially watching with great concern COVID-19 developments across Africa. While the situation is very sobering, I am encouraged by the serious measures that African governments have taken to stem the spread of the virus, of work being done by the World Health Organization, bilateral partners (including the U.S.), and of the impressive rallying of private sector resources in Nigeria, Morocco, and other African nations to fight COVID-19 in Africa.All the world is connected by the enormous challenge of COVID-19, so the private sectors, governments and international organizations in Africa, the United States and globally must work together to help us all get through this crisis. Our lives and livelihoods depend on this. In response to this call for a coordinated African and global strategy to fight the pandemic, we see that African Heads of State, Ministers of Health and Finance, and the private sector have come together. New initiatives have been launched by the World Bank, African Development Bank, IMF, Afreximbank, UNECA, and the Trade and Development Bank (TDB) to overcome the human and economic cost of COVID-19 on the continent. And we salute all CCA member companies that are working tirelessly to find solutions and bring this crisis to an end.I want you to know that CCA remains committed to our mission to promote U.S.-Africa trade, investment and business. Now more than ever, I and the staff here in Washington and on the ground in West and East Africa want to do all that we can to support companies – U.S. and African, multinationals and SMEs – helping them to navigate the worst health crisis of our times and to alleviate the impact of COVID-19 on lives and economies both in the United States and in Africa.We have launched a new CCA webinar series – “Navigating the Impact of COVID-19” – to provide vital information to our members and stakeholders at this critical time. We hope it will be a platform to continue discussions on key issues relevant to doing business in Africa and increasing U.S.-Africa economic engagement during and after this unprecedented crisis.Finally, acknowledging that the most important thing is the health, safety, and lives of our staff, and those of our member companies, government and other partners, CCA made the decision to postpone our 13thU.S.-Africa Business Summit, which was scheduled for June 9 -12, 2020 in Marrakesh, Morocco (see announcementhere). CCA and our Summit co-host, the Government of the Kingdom of Morocco, look forward to announcing a new date soon. We believe it will be a critical platform for businesses and governments to explore the path for U.S.-Africa reengagement and recovery following this crisis.We hope you will join us virtually in our webinar series and in person for the Summit whenever we can safely come together again.More than anything, please know that my thoughts and prayers are with you and I wish that you and your loved ones stay healthy. Please let me know if I or CCA can help during this challenging period.With best wishes,Florie